The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 153: Chapter 153

Uncle Uzzi’s answer stared at Annabeth for a moment, as if it were waiting for her response. She took a deep breath, then typed back.
Annabeth
What? How can I change his mind? What are you saying exactly?
Her Lioness was already sitting up and ready to take notes from the world-famous matchmaker.
UU
Dear, didn’t you ever read Shakespeare? The course of true love never doth run smooth.
Annabeth
But Uncle Uzzi, he doesn’t want me!
UU
Do you know that for sure? Have you tried seducing him?
Annabeth stared at the blinking cursor. Could Uncle Uzzi truly mean what she thought he meant? Only one way to find out.
Annabeth
No! I mean, what do you mean?
She did not want to mess around or beat about the bush. This was Annabeth’s future, for fuck’s sake.
UU
Your sisters told me about last night, and while I applaud your quick wit, maybe you took the easy way out, Annabeth. Shifters are highly sexual creatures. You gotta let that cock crow, my dear.
The old Witch typed with the same no-nonsense attitude he was renowned for. And from the way the three little dots were blinking on the screen, he was not done.
UU
Annabeth, I am going to repeat a very old saying to you, and I hope you will get my meaning. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You do know that if you want something, genuinely want it, sometimes you have to work for it. Do you really want Hank?
Annabeth
Yes, Uncle Uzzi, I do. I really want him. My Lioness knows he is the one.
UU
Then what is the issue?
Annabeth
Are you saying I should just pounce on him, and then what? Lick him until he surrenders?
In truth, her she-Cat was all for desperate measures. Her stomach cramped, a precursor to her heat, and she closed her eyes a moment. It was only Tuesday. By Friday, she would be a mess for sure.
UU
Lick him, kiss him, rub your booty on him. Whatever it takes. True love and happiness are worth the risk. Hank Garret is a good man. The best, really. I would not have introduced you otherwise. But he has a past, Annabeth.
Annabeth
What do you mean?
She gnawed her lower lip while she waited, wanting to know anything she could about him.
UU
His parents were good people, but a little narrow-minded. Theirs was not a fated mating, Annabeth, and as such, their relationship was stilted. His home was not honest and warm like yours.
Annabeth
That sucks, Uncle Uzzi, but my family is not perfect. We are loud and in your face most of the time.
She answered honestly. She knew instinctively Hank’s reserve would temper her wilder impulses. In truth, she’d like the quiet meal they’d passed together.
UU
And it is wonderful, isn’t it? Knowing your family accepts you regardless of any mistakes you might make. Hank’s home life was cold. His parents did not believe in showing love or enthusiasm for anything their son did, and he did prove a little wild in a desperate attempt to gain their attention. That’s when I started spending time with the young chick.
Annabeth
That is so sad.
Her family’s boisterous antics, and the absence of her father aside, she would never have gotten through her childhood without knowing her mom would be there for her with open arms, no matter what.
UU
Cold and lonely were the markers of his childhood and his parents’ mating. Claudine was my friend, and I never believed she should have mated Hank’s father, but her parents insisted. You see, like their wild cousins, Gyrfalcons return to the roost to propagate for generations dating back a thousand or more years. But that kind of tradition is nothing when pitted up against destiny.
Annabeth
But he promised them.
UU
Oh, Annabeth, if he walks away and you let him, he will never have love or joy in his life. Is that what you think he should settle for? Should you?
Annabeth
It’s not just up to me.
That was true, but Annabeth’s Lioness pressed against her mind. The feline was angry at her for giving up without a fight.
Looked like Uncle Uzzi wasn’t finished with her yet, as the three blinking dots would indicate. Annabeth inhaled. She had a feeling she would need her strength to read this next message.
UU
I guess, the real question here is are you a Lioness or a mouse?
Annabeth
Uncle Uzzi, that’s not fair.
UU
Life isn’t fair, Annabeth. Now, I love Hank, and I think you do too. You know what to do. Let me know how it turns out. Good luck.
“Hungry?”
Annabeth jumped at the intrusion to her thoughts. Hank’s eyebrows arched. His handsome face curious as he watched her in the rearview mirror.
Could I get away with it? With seducing him.
She wondered as her eyes flicked to Hank’s cobalt gaze. He waited patiently for her response, though his expression was clearly befuddled.
She cleared her throat and nodded her head. Hungry? Yeah. Duh. She was Shifter. Of course, she was hungry. Hank exited the car walking to open her door, ever the consummate professional.
The ideal gentlemen to the core, isn’t he? Maybe I can ruffle those perfectly coifed feathers of his after all, Annabeth thought with a predatory gleam in her golden eyes.
She took his proffered hand, though she didn’t need it. Physical prowess was kind of a thing with dual-natured beings. But the contact, regardless of how slight, had her moaning internally.
Mmm.
It created the most delicious zing speeding through her blood. She was a Lioness, and never did things half-assed. Decision made, Annabeth held on, tugging his hand, and the rest of him closer as she slid out of the vehicle, making sure to brush against him with every inch of her body.
Hank sucked in a breath. A sound she longed to mimic. The feel of him, even through layers of clothing, was remarkable. But she forced herself to act nonchalant, releasing her hold and walking away.
She felt his stare. Heard the slight rumble in his chest. Knew he was not as immune as he pretended to be. Maybe her sisters and Uzzi, even her outrageous mother, were right. Sometimes you had to fight for what you wanted. And sometimes you had to fight dirty.
Annabeth had felt Hank’s pulse racing during their momentary embrace. She’d felt the hardness she’d conjured between his legs, noticed the flashes of jealousy and possessiveness he was not schooled enough to hide.
The man was fighting fate—theirs. And Annabeth was going to make it so much harder on him. She believed in happy ever afters and true love, but she also knew relationships required work and compromise. Sure, Hank made a promise, but according to Uzzi, it might not have been in his best interest.
Annabeth would never force him into anything. Not really. Her inner Lioness was positive he was hers. She felt all the things she’d heard about fated mates from the minute she’d seen him. Instant lust, possessive instincts, and more than that. Hank felt really important to her. He felt like air.
She’d seen him waver. Watched him convince himself it wasn’t meant to be, but Annabeth didn’t believe that. Yes, ultimately, it was both of their choices. But how would either of them know if they were meant for one another unless they tried?
Easy girl Everything is going to be purrfect, she thought, her inner feline sitting up and taking notes.
Hank Garret might think he was made for something else, but Annabeth could just about guarantee he was created just for her Lioness.
Time to test the feisty Falcon’s resolve. And Annabeth knew just how to do it.